Sunday 11 February 2007

Work begins on huge windfarm

Ballarat Courier
Friday 9/2/2007 Page: 5

PRELIMINARY work on a massive 128-turbine windfarm in Waubra is well underway. Earthworks, construction of access tracks and foundation excavations are being undertaken in preparation for work to begin on the base of the wind turbines.

Acciona Energy Oceania construction manager Bruce Payne said it was a huge job, but when completed the windfarm would be the biggest in Victoria. He said about 60 workers were on site, of whom about 30 were from the region. The windfarm is expected to be completed in late 2008 at a cost of about $400 million. Work on the foundations are expected to be completed in August.

Ballarat business Eureka Concreting will begin work on the wind turbine bases in the next two to three weeks. Eureka Concrete plant manager Wayne Walton said about 40,000 cubic metres of concrete would be used to complete the job. "It's a big industrial job with 300 metre pours in each hole," he said.

Mr Walton said the concreting would take about eight months and the base of each wind turbine would include 100 tonnes of steel and 600 tonnes of concrete. A mobile concreting plant has been set up on site and will be dismantled when the job is finished. This is a fantastic job for Ballarat, they're using a lot of local people," Mr Walton said.

The project will generate 192 megawatts from turbines on land leased from farmers. The site is set on a series of hills that form part of the Great Dividing Range and was identified as having the best inland wind resource in Victoria.

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